1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for distributing image information between information processors (image processors) comprising functions to operate image information via a network such as a satellite connection. Particularly, this invention relates to a technique for receiving a client's desire to edit image information along the desire and distribute edited image information efficiently.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, printed materials such as poster are used for the purpose of advertisements. For such printed materials, various kinds of materials including postcard-size poster to large-size poster are used. Normally, the client, who wishes to prepare such printed materials, asks the printing agency to generate the printed materials.
However, we have often experienced that the cost relating to the generation of printed materials is increased in the case where the number of printed materials is small at the time of requesting the printing agency.
While, in recent years, performance of the color printer has been rapidly improved and a reduction in price has been advanced. For this reason, the client purchases the color printer and prints the screen page generated by the client by use of this color printer in some cases. This decreases the cost in generating the printed materials as compared with the case in which the client asks the printing agency to generate the printed materials.
However, even in this case, it is difficult for the client, who is not a professional person, to generate the printed materials. More specifically, various kinds of choices are provided in connection with the printing environment, material (photographic image, illustration image, the same is applied afterwards) to be used in the printing, character font, edition, and kinds of colors. Then, a large load must be taken on the operator, who performs the layout generation, and the computer system to be used in order that the client side performs the layout generation relating to these items. Particularly, a great number of processing steps, including e.g., processing in which compressed image information that expresses the material to be used is once decompressed, is required to edit image information.